Date: 1 April 1991 Times Guardian Press Assoc. 1 April
Opposition: Southampton 1991 Competition: League
Liverpool’s title hopes crumble Liverpool slip sliding away Southampton 1 Liverpool 0 THE League Championship may not yet be beyond Liverpool's reach, but after LIVERPOOL'S challenge for the title, which has been fading over the last four their second defeat of the Easter holiday it is even more within Arsenal's grasp. months, may have been extinguished at The Dell yesterday afternoon. In spite of Liverpool often played like champions at Southampton yesterday but in the end a relentless search for an equaliser which lasted for 86 minutes, they suffered this proved a thin disguise. They finished looking more like good runners-up. their second successive defeat over the Easter weekend. Southampton, still needing points for safety in the lower half of the First Division, With only seven fixtures left on their programme, they remain two points behind won a highly entertaining and at times remarkable match with a goal from Arsenal and the gap in goal difference has been extended to nine. During a week Matthew Le Tissier, his 20th of the season, in the fourth minute. The most of much-needed rest, they will reflect on the misfortune which kept them from remarkable aspect of the game was that more goals did not follow and that at regaining the lead of the first division and probably retaining the championship. least four did not end up in the Southampton net by half-time. Their decline can be traced back to Boxing Day. In winning their last game before Arsenal, who play Aston Villa at home tomorrow night and visit Sheffield United Christmas, coincidentally against Southampton, they had dropped only seven on Saturday while Liverpool are inactive, now have the chance to take an eight- points in their opening 17 games. They have since dropped 23 in 14 and even point lead at the top of the table. their apparent resurgence under Ronnie Moran has been an illusion. This might not break Liverpool's spirit, which looked buoyant enough yesterday, Successive victories over Manchester City, Sunderland and Derby County were but they are now beginning to find the top of the First Division a greasy pole. For achieved respectively with the help of controversial penalties, an own goal and all their efforts it is becoming increasingly hard for them to get a fresh grip of opponents who were utterly defenceless. Their aura of invincibility has gone, their events. renowned passing game is disintegrating and they are no longer accompanied by What proved to be the winning goal arrived in only Southampton's second luck. meaningful attack. In the first minute Le Tissier and Shearer exposed the Liverpool They were undone yesterday by a wicked deflection in the fourth minute. During defence sufficiently to give Wallace a clear sight of goal. His shot went wide but an afternoon overflowing with openings, they might before then have been three minutes later, after Shearer had nodded down a throw from Adams on the unhinged by the pace of Wallace. Liverpool's defence failed to contain the second left, Wallace played the ball square and Le Tissier's strongly driven shot took a of Wallace's thrusts and Le Tissier was left free to shoot. His drive careered off the deflection off Gillespie, wrong-footing Hooper, who had covered the original legs of Gillespie and Hooper was unable to readjust to the deflection. danger. Despite the return of Gittens, Southampton's rearguard, statistically the worst in For the next 40 minutes Liverpool reproduced the sort of attacking football they the first division, Derby apart, was even more uncertain. Their right flank, which had played in the memorable 4-4 draw with Everton in the FA Cup; except that was supposed to have been guarded by Horne, resembled an open door. Gittens, this time they could not score. sold to Swindon Town for Pounds 40,000 four years ago and bought back for ten The passing, movement and speed of Liverpool's football was often breathtaking. times that in midweek, was continually forced to leave his central role to cover a They created nine opportunities during this period, but the only time they did find gap exposed with startling regularity. the net the goal was disallowed because a linesman reckoned that Rush, in Barnes, absent with influenza on Saturday, revelled in the freedom. He created a gathering a pass from Molby and beating a joint challenge from Adams and stream of opportunities for Beardsley, Rush and Houghton but Flowers, with a Ruddock, had handled the ball. The decision looked harsh. series of saves, protected Southampton's advantage. He was also assisted by Flowers made a series of instinctive saves and at the end of the half, after an inaccurate finishing. Rush, for example, steered wide a cross rolled to his feet by inspired run by Beardsley, Adams denied Liverpool an equaliser when he blocked Barnes midway through the first half. a shot from Rush on the goalline. Southampton's goalkeeper was helped, too, by his colleagues. In the It was to Southampton's credit that despite this pressure they managed to retain psychologically significant moment seconds before half-time, Beardsley bemused their discipline and composure at the back. Ruddock, in particular, kept a cool and Ruddock near the byline before sweeping the ball towards Rush, a few yards out. authoritative head at moments of crisis. Adams was on the line to act as the last line of defence. Liverpool, on the other hand, seldom looked solid at the back. Hysen and Nicol The current flowing towards Flowers ebbed away but not before he sprawled were several times outpaced by Wallace and Shearer who, leading the line well himself at the feet of Houghton and, after Case had misdirected the clearance, for Southampton, gradually began to get the better of Gillespie in the air. flung himself to tip away Nicol's long-range attempt. Liverpool were eventually Most of the better chances after half-time fell to Southampton, with Hooper, still carried away by their own increasing and uncharacteristic desperation. deputising for Grobelaar, saving one header from Shearer, and Beardsley nodding In doing so, they left themselves vulnerable to the counter-attack and another out from under the bar. Liverpool, while they still attacked fluently, Southampton might, in the end, have increased the margin. They opened the achieved nothing as clear-cut as their earlier efforts. second half with Wallace on another incisive run down the left and had Ablett not As the players left the field the Dell was littered with the remnants of burst red thrown himself in the way of Le Tissier's volley, Liverpool's difficulties would have and white balloons. But with Arsenal unlikely to go off pop at this late stage, been more profound. Liverpool's party seems almost over. It was one of their more frustrating Saints' They seemed to be anyway when Gillespie fell on top of Le Tissier in the area but days. no penalty was awarded. Equally curiously, Gittens was allowed to escape with no Southampton: Flowers; Horne, Adams, Cockerill, Ruddock, Gittens, Case, Le more than a booking after he had brought down Staunton in full flight within 60 Tissier, Shearer, Mcloughlin, Wallace. seconds. Liverpool: Hooper; Hysen, Staunton (Speedie, 80min), Nicol, Molby, Ablett, Southampton closed the extravagantly open contest by creating as many chances Beardsley, Houghton, Rush, Barnes, Gillespie (Burrows, 86). as had Liverpool earlier. Hooper had to block a header from Shearer, Beardsley Referee: A Gunn (South Chailey). cleared off the line from the same player and Shearer was again involved in the rousing finale which featured two saves from Liverpool's ultimately beleaguered goalkeeper.
Compiled by Graeme Riley
Date: 1 April 1991 Times Guardian Press Assoc. 1 April
Opposition: Southampton 1991
Competition: League
Stand and Dell-iver!
It is a measure of a good side that they can win when below par. Arsenal have it, but Liverpool have lost it.
The Red Machine appears to have serious problems that require an urgent and drastic re-think especially when the team fail to win games they dominate.
And in Liverpool terms it is hard not to think of a crisis when they have dropped 23 points out of their last 14 games.
Liverpool have only three League wins to their name in 20 outings to The Dell and it became apparent it was not going to be their day when Saints opened the scoring in the fourth minute. Matthew Le Tissier struck a shot from outside the penalty area that Mike Hooper appeared to have covered, but it was deflected off Gary Gillespie's leg and it was just enough to divert it past the startled keeper.
From then on Saints were under the hammer as Liverpool pounded their goal and created ten clear chances in the first-half.
But they were also robbed of an Ian Rush goal in the eighth minute which was disallowed after the referee adjudged the Welsh striker to have used an arm in controlling the ball. Rush pleaded it was accidental as he could hardly have done anything else when Neil Ruddock drove a clearance straight at him.
Liverpool kept up the pressure and John Barnes, Peter Beardsley and Ray Houghton all forced Tim Flowers into making great saves and when he was beaten by Rush again Mickey Adams was there to clear off the line.
Saints came more into the game in the second-half and shaded Liverpool in terms of scoring opportunities with Hooper making a spectacular double-save to deny Alan Shearer and Ruddock. He was fortunate also that when he was beaten Gary Ablett was able to clear off the line from Le Tissier and Shearer was denied by Beardsley in similar circumstances.
Compiled by Graeme Riley